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Prior to the widespread implementation of ABS brake technology in light vehicles, driver training often included instruction to “pump the brakes” to avoid locking the wheels. Many driver education programs now recommend maintaining high brake pedal force and relying on ABS. It is sometimes asserted that drivers desiring to stop a vehicle quickly still “pump the brakes”. Investigators sought to understand whether drivers desiring to decelerate quickly pump the brakes, especially in a way that may deplete the vacuum stored in a vehicle's brake booster if so equipped, or whether they apply the brakes in a manner corresponding to their desired deceleration. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted a testing program to examine driver braking behavior in crash avoidance maneuvers.

Designers of motor vehicles must consider driver and environmental factors to assure that vehicle capacities will be compatible with the likely demands of both to achieve a reasonable degree of safety. Extensive related data are available as a result of a large scale study performed by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration entitled “Light Vehicle Antilock Brake Systems Research Program”. Mazzae, et al [1] have published a report that described the nature of the program and its general results. Large bodies of data were created that provide further insight into motor vehicle driver behavior in crash avoidance situations. The data quantify driver behaviors in the use of steering and braking controls and of the test vehicle response to these control demands. The current work provides an analysis of these data for consideration by motor vehicle designers and others.